1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to fabricating parts and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for performing machining operations on a workpiece for fabricating a part.
2. Background
In fabricating parts, machines may be used to perform operations on workpieces to form the parts. One type of operation performed on the workpieces may be machining. Machining may involve removing materials from a workpiece. Machining may be typically performed to selectively remove metal. Machining also may be performed for other types of materials, such as plastics or composite materials. Machining may include, for example, without limitation, drilling, milling, shaping, planing, boring, broaching, sawing, burnishing, and/or other similar types of operations. Machines used to perform these types of operations may include, for example, without limitation, a lathe, a milling machine, a drill press, and/or other suitable types of devices.
When performing a machining operation on a workpiece, the machine may employ a cutting tool, such as a cutter. The cutter may have one or more sharp edges and may be made of material that is harder than the material in the workpiece. The cutter on a machine may be secured to a tool holder. The tool holder may then be secured to a spindle and/or other component of a milling machine. The tool may have various lengths, depending on the particular operation that may be performed. For example, without limitation, if the milling operation is to be performed through the entire thickness of a workpiece, the tool may have a length that allows the cutter to reach through the thickness of the workpiece. As the workpiece increases in thickness, the length of the tool may be increased to allow the cutter to reach through the entire thickness of the workpiece.
As the length of a tool increases, the flexibility of the tool increases. An increase in flexibility means that the tool may be displaced or deflected during a machining operation from an axis extending through the tool. In other words, the stiffness of the tool may decrease. The displacement of the tool may cause undesirable finishes in the surface of the tool. A poor surface finish may be referred to as chatter. Chatter may result in an undulating and/or irregular finish on the surface of the workpiece.
With surface finishes having chatter and/or other types of undesirable surface finishes, a part may not meet tolerances and/or may not have the desired aesthetics. As a result, the part may require reworking and/or may be scrapped. Consequently, additional time and expense may be incurred in fabricating parts.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues described above, as well as possibly other issues.